ClueBy
TodayArchiveWord list

Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
YesNo
↻ New worksheet

Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. bound — certain
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. bear — the animal
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. bound — tied together
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. saw — the tool
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. saw — the tool
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. mine — for digging
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. bear — the animal
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. wind — moving air
  23. bound — obliged
  24. cabinet — ministers

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com